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teenth century, with keen observers continuing type of unethical experiment by withholding The American
to point out the lack of efficacy and “painful and treatment from syphilis patients to observe the
fatal complications” of mercury-based syphilis disease’s natural history—but that is another Medical
remedies. However, when Hapsburg empress story. 26,27 Association
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Maria Theresia (1717-1780) brought physician and the
Gerard van Swieten to prominence to address THE SKIN AS GATEWAY
the rampant syphilis affecting Vienna’s military, As already mentioned, mercury has a American
van Swieten (and later, his son) developed and centuries-old history of topical uses. In the Dental
promoted a liquid form of mercuric chloride that first half of the twentieth century, an epidemic Association
rapidly became the standard of care for syphilis of “pink disease” (infantile acrodynia) swept
treatment throughout Europe. Olmsted and across North America, Central Europe and reportedly
24
Blaxill speculate that this concoction, which Australia. Symptoms were wide-ranging were born
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came to be known as “Van Swieten’s liquor,” and often fatal (10 to 33 percent of cases), to serve as
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may have been widely overprescribed due to and autopsies showed widespread destruction
people’s fears of syphilis, and this overuse of the brain. It was not until the late 1940s de facto
12
probably resulted in substantial, unrecognized that researchers traced the alarming condition lobbying
mercury poisoning. primarily to teething powders that contained entities on
Mercury stubbornly remained the “first- calomel (mercurous chloride). This discovery
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line” treatment for syphilis through the nine- should have taken place far sooner, especially behalf of
teenth century. One of the most intriguing given that research in the 1930s confirmed that mercury.
25
chapters in The Age of Autism delves into a the oral mucosa readily absorb mercury. Even
12
little-discussed aspect of Sigmund Freud’s work with this discovery, acrodynia cases continued
with female patients diagnosed with “hysteria” to account for almost 4 percent of all children’s
and other forms of “obsessional neurosis.” Freud hospital visits in one British city as late as 1953. 12
himself noted that “in more than half of the Beginning in the late 1940s, scientists and
severe cases of hysteria…the patient’s father clinicians suspected that multiple sclerosis
suffered from syphilis.” Olmsted and Blaxill might be an “adult form of acrodynia,” and by
describe Freud’s patient Dora, who began the 1960s, neurologists began to believe that
displaying mental and physical symptoms of mercury-containing amalgam fillings could be
“hysteria” (which dovetailed with symptoms the source of the exposure. Two of the most
12
of mercury poisoning) at the exact same age influential medical trade organizations in the
that she nursed her father through syphilis U.S.—the American Medical Association and
treatments that probably contained mercury. the American Dental Association—reportedly
According to the two authors, “once you begin were born to serve as de facto lobbying entities
looking, clues to possible mercury toxicity are on behalf of mercury, defending calomel (and
everywhere in Freud’s cases.” Olmsted and later thimerosal) as well as amalgam. (Other
Blaxill suggest that the leading thinkers of the articles in this issue of Wise Traditions discuss
time, including Freud, “overlooked or ignored” thimerosal and dental amalgam.)
obvious signs of mercury poisoning because Although the outcry over acrodynia
they could not conceive of the possibility that prompted the removal of calomel from teething
female caregivers might suffer indirect toxic powders in the mid-1950s, many other medi-
effects through administration of mercury treat- cal and cosmetic products, both then and now,
ments to relatives with syphilis. also contained or continue to include mercury,
Although new therapies for syphilis began sometimes in defiance of regulatory standards.
emerging in the 1880s, including bismuth, In the current era, skin-lightening creams are in
synthetic arsenicals and, ultimately, penicillin, vogue worldwide and are a widespread source
mercury remained in sporadic use as a syphilis of hidden exposure to mercury. Unfortunately,
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treatment until the 1950s. Over the same time many of the users of these products are women
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period, leading researchers in Oslo (Norway) of reproductive age or pregnant women who
and Tuskegee (Alabama) conducted a different unknowingly are exposing their children (born
SPRING 2018 Wise Traditions 63